Buzzing Brighton

Why Brighton is the South Coast’s best day and night out.

Brighton is famous for being the UK’s gay capital and offers a fantastic night out for tourists and students alike. It also offers a wide range of attractions for the daylight hours, from shopping to swimming to eating and drinking.

The Royal Pavilion

The Royal Pavilion is the city’s most well-known hotspot as it used to be the royal residence and is a really unusual looking building with wonderful old-fashioned Indian architecture that was popular around the 19^th century. You can have a look around the building from approximately £7 but it really is worth the money as there as some stunning sights to see. However, if you are watching the pennies, you can walk around the incredible gardens absolutely free. It’s also the perfect spot for a summertime picnic.

The Town Centre & Laines

Shopping is big business in Brighton, even on a student budget. It’s got all your conventional favourites in the town centre, from Urban Outfitters to Topshop, New Look and fast food offerings like KFC, Burger King and McDonald’s. The Laines showcase more thrift and vintage stores as well as fine jewellers, independent cafes, antique stores and stunning restaurants. It really is a retail paradise!

Brighton Pier & Beach

Although the beach is pebbled, it is enjoyed by thousands every year, particularly during the warmer British months. It’s a great place for families, student gatherings and couples during the day and into the evening. There is also a wide range of shops, cafes and restaurants at the back of the beach, selling cheaper and costly refreshments as well as some lovely handmade jewellery, clothing, accessories and souvenirs. The pier is one of the country’s most popular and it’s not hard to see why- there’s reasonable fairground rides towards the end of the pier, seaside food favourites and tourist-perfect souvenirs. Whether you’re after some rock, fresh doughnuts, candy floss, fudge, postcards, ice-cream, fish and chips or a good old English pint, the beach and pier is the place to be.

Brighton Marina

Situated about 15 minutes away from the town centre by bus, there are several shops and a wide range of restaurants here as well as a cinema. If you’re into less conventional cinema head down to the Duke of York cinema which shows a combination of foreign and older films. The restaurants at the Marina tend to be slightly pricey, their quality is outstanding, but it’s not somewhere you’ll want to visit regularly on a student budget.

Bars & Clubbing

No matter if you’re into clubbing or just enjoy a cosy night in a pub or bar with your friends, Brighton has something for you. There’s a huge range of pubs along Lewes road, from good old-fashioned style pubs with wooden décor to brightly coloured student bars. If you’re into sports, Franklin Tavern is the ultimate sports bar that also sells a huge range of food and drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. If you’ve got a good few spare pennies lying around and are looking for something a little more expensive, Santa Fe and Pitcher & Piano may be the bar for you as it’s quite upmarket without being pretentious and both bars serve a huge range of cocktails. For those on a traditional student budget, Prodigal and Font & Firkin sell cheap drinks which are perfect to get you going before a big Brighton night out. The Royal Pavilion Tavern in the centre of town sells the cheapest drinks in town and showcases a fantastic alternative scene.

Often referred to as the South East’s clubbing capital, Brighton has an overwhelming choice of clubs, from R&B clubs on the see front, comedy clubs such as Komedia and the Royal Theatre, the Honey club which plays a mix of Dance and R&B. Around the Marina, there are a number of Drum & Bass style clubs but the most unusual club in the area has to be Funky Fish, which is right by the seafront and plays a blend of Jazz, Soul and Dance music.

Eating Out

Al Duomo is an atmospheric, fairly cheap Italian restaurant serving top-notch versions of all our Italian favourites and even creates stone baked pizzas right in front of your eyes! Kensington’s is situated in the heart of North Laine the ultimate student café- with its food as cheap as chips and a huge range of comfort food, like fry ups, pies, salads, Mexican and a massive vegetarian range. Donatello’s and Fat Leo’s are located right next to each other and have similar menus offering very cheap Italian meals, drinks and amazing ice-cream. If you like Indian food, Bombay Mix must be your first stop. It sells homemade, cheap curries and you can get an all-you-can-eat meat curry buffet for about £9 and vegetarian for under £6. Gars is a quaint Chinese restaurant with a high-quality menu that offers dinner for about £15.

There’re countless sights to see and things to experience in Brighton whatever your taste and budget. Whether you’re a day-tripper, just wanting to chill out with your friends or wanting a great night out, Brighton caters for you!